Mayo MEP to lead European Parliament debate on mental health

Midlands-North-West MEP Maria Walsh has confirmed she will lead a historic debate on mental health when the European Parliament sits in Strasbourg next week.

Walsh has championed the mental health campaign at European level since her election in 2019 and has been campaigning to get the subject on the Strasbourg calendar ever since. It is fitting therefore, on World Mental Health Day, that she has succeeded in bringing the matter to the top of the agenda.

On Tuesday next, October 18, Walsh will open the mental health session in Strasbourg, addressing her parliamentary colleagues, as well as the European Commissioner for Health, Stella Kyriakides, and representatives from the Council of the European Union.

She will use the opportunity to appeal for further support around mental health services, and call for the current EU legislation to be updated.

She said: “I have been campaigning for this debate since my election and I am delighted to have the support of European Parliament President, Roberta Metsola, in bringing this debate to Parliament.

"Very early on, I was told mental health was not a competency of the EU and I knew I needed to do something to change this. I immediately began working on getting mental health to the forefront of the EU agenda and I am delighted it is finally getting the time and attention it deserves. It is great to be able to announce this today, on World Mental Health Day."

There is no doubt that the COVID pandemic further highlighted and exacerbated a critical, and widening, gap in mental health care across Europe.

According to a recent OECD report, an estimated one-in-two people experienced a mental health condition at some point in their lifetime prior to the pandemic, with one-in-five living with mental ill-health at any given time. Since the crisis, levels of mental distress have increased, with the prevalence of anxiety and depression even doubling in some countries.

“At government level here in Ireland, and also on the European stage, we must work together to tackle mental health issues. Early intervention is key and the mental health of our citizens should be at the core of our work.

"In Europe, mental health needs to be urgently tackled, through a comprehensive EU Mental Health Strategy. This will be one of my primary focuses when I stand before Parliament on Tuesday next,” she added.

A passionate mental health advocate, MEP Walsh is Co-Chair of MHE’s Coalition for Mental Health and Wellbeing, and throughout this year, she had also called for 2023 to be designated as the European Year Dedicated to Mental Health.

She had been optimistic that her proposal would be ratified in Parliament last month, but instead it was announced that 2023 would be the Year of Education and Training.

“Of course, I was disappointed initially, but I absolutely see the value in the Year of Education and Training and I was delighted with the announcement that mental health will be one of the European Citizens' Panels in the Conference on the Future of Europe.

"The Panels are a key feature of the Conference and are organised to allow citizens to work together on how mental health needs to be addressed in the European Union.

"Mental health will be one of four priority areas involving 200 citizens from 27 member states, with a third of the panel made up of young people,” she said.

Earlier this year, Walsh also led the first report dedicated to mental health in Parliament – entitled 'Mental Health in the Digital World of Work' – and received overwhelming support.

The document called for updated EU legislation to ensure collective EU mental health policies are in place.

It also called on the Commission to propose a legislative initiative on the management of psychosocial risks and well-being at work.

In bringing the report before Parliament, the Fine Gael MEP called on the European Commission to create a comprehensive EU mental health strategy and a legislative framework to establish minimum requirements for teleworking across the EU.

In addition, she asked that Member States and the Commission include measures to address mental health in their health crisis and pandemic emergency response and preparedness plans.

The report noted that the pandemic saw politicians and governments protecting the physical health of citizens.

“We need to see mental health tackled with the same urgency,” she stressed.

Looking ahead to Strasbourg next week, Walsh welcomed the fact that mental health is finally moving up the political agenda.

“I am excited about next week’s debate and also about getting involved in discussions and ideas around the Conference on the Future of Europe.

"I am encouraged, too, when I think about the increased awareness that the Citizens’ Panel can bring to mental health. I will continue to work to ensure mental health care is affordable and accessible for every citizen, regardless of their location within the European Union.”

Mental health, according to MEP Walsh, has got to be a priority in Ireland, and in Europe.

“There can be no debate or policy discussion on health, on care, on the future of our European Union, without the mental health of our citizens at its very core. I very much intend to keep the mental health of all of our citizens, front and centre on the EU agenda. We cannot continue to stigmatise mental health, yet mourn the loss of it,” she concluded.